1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a new and improved toothbrush having side-by-side arranged brushing heads angled in the opposite directions with respect to each other.
2. Description of the Prior Invention
In order to effectively clean teeth and gum areas, complex maneuvering of a toothbrush is necessary. It is generally acknowledged that the great majority of individuals brush their teeth and gum surfaces primarily in a horizontal and semi-circular manner, even though this particular technique is not the most effective way of cleaning the teeth and gum surfaces. There are two reasons why most individuals resort to this ineffective technique. First, conventional brushing heads are not particularly designed to follow the contours of the teeth and gum surfaces, and as an extension of the human arm do not permit complicated and exact maneuvers to be performed. Second, most brushing takes place in the early morning when one first arises and in the evening just prior to retiring. This is a key factor, as demanding complicated procedures for this time of day and night are beyond the tolerance of most individuals. For these reasons, most individuals resort to a simple natural horizontal or semi-circular conventional brushing technique.
Numerous attempts have been made in the past as shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 860,840 to Strassburger, 3,742,549 to Scopp et al., and 4,667,360 to Marthaler et al to improve the design of the toothbrush. The bristles and/or head of these prior inventions are angled relative to the handle portion. More particularly, U.S. Pat. No. 860,840 to Strassburger discloses a toothbrush having two rows of bristles which are sloped in opposite directions relative to each other and a central section of bristles arranged parallel and located between the two outside rows. In contrast to the prior art, the outside rows of the present invention have equal length bristles throughout the brushing heads to provide lateral support across the entire width of the toothbrush heads. Moreover, these prior inventions do not provide the pair of discreet, side-by-side arranged, brushing heads of the present invention.
In other prior art patents, adjacent head portions of a toothbrush are made to pivot or flex relative to the handle portion so that the bristles are better able to conform to the contours of the teeth and gum surfaces. Such an arrangement is shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,928,328 to Carpentier, 2,266,195 to Hallock, 3,152,349 to Brennesholtz, 4,333,199 to Del Rosario, 4,488,328 to Hyman, 4,691,405 to Reed, and 4,776,054 to Rauch. More particularly, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,333,199 to Del Rosario and 4,488,328 to Hyman disclose a toothbrush having a single discreet brushing head that can be pivoted about the handle. The Del Rosario patent, in addition, discloses a brushing head that can rotate about three planes. In contrast, the present invention provides discreet, strategically positional brushing heads as opposed to a single brushing head taught by these prior inventions.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,928,328 to Carpentier, 2,266,195 to Hallock 3,152,349 to Brennesholtz and 4,691,405 to Reed show a toothbrush head capable of flexing or articulating relative to the handle. Specifically, the brushing head comprises a plurality of serially arranged flexing head segments, whereby the segments flex in unison or relative to each other. In contrast, the brushing heads of the present invention are arranged side-by-side as opposed to the serially arranged head segments of these prior inventions. Furthermore, the unique angularly arranged heads of the present invention provide a plurality of discreet stabilizing contact areas to prevent excess pressure build-up and possible gum damage that can occur on a single concentrated point on the gum.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,776,054 to Rauch discloses a toothbrush head having three arranged brushing segments. However, the segments are not discreet brushing heads in contrast to the uniquely arranged discreet brushing heads of the present invention. Even if the segments are considered as discreet heads, because the central segment is aligned with the handle and the two segments on either side are symmetrically arranged relative to the central head, the Rauch patent does not show or disclose the present invention which comprises two side-by-side arranged heads inclined in the opposite directions relative to each other. Moreover, the Rauch patent does not provide a plurality of stabilizing areas as is provided in the present invention for safely and stably resting and positioning the brushing heads on the teeth and the gum surfaces. Instead, the bristles on the outer sides of the Rauch patent have narrow, blade-like, contact points which are likely to induce excessive pressure to the gum due to the narrow contact points. In other words, the narrow blade-like bristles inherently place higher excessive concentrated pressure on the gum more so than bristles with a larger contact area which can spread pressure evenly to the larger contact area.
In addition to the above discussed distinguishing features, none of the prior art toothbrushes are directed to overcoming ineffective brushing techniques. These prior inventions do not disclose a toothbrush that overcomes the individual's anatomically limited abilities to effectively clean the curvilinear surfaces of the teeth and provide for gentle stimulation of the varying gum tissues without harm or discomfort for the user by utilizing side-by-side arranged brushing heads having cleaning surface areas in oppositely angled planes.